Map of the Zeitgeist

Date2022

Object number00056356

NameDrawing

MediumPaper, ink

DimensionsOverall: 480 × 1403 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Collections

New to the collection

Terms

DescriptionThe Zeitgeist is the German word for ‘spirit of the Age’. In this artwork the artist was trying to capture the spirit of our contemporary world, in particular the current climate change crisis. As a longtime Titanic buff he felt that it is the tragedy and lessons of the Titanic which most captures our collective current zeitgeist.Historyartist statement: The Zeitgeist is the German word for ‘spirit of the Age’. In this artwork I was trying to capture the spirit of our contemporary world, in particular the current climate change crisis. As a longtime Titanic buff I felt that it is the tragedy and lessons of the Titanic which most captures our collective current zeitgeist. Using the original floor plans of the Titanic I map metaphorical parallels between 3 main features of the ship and its tragedy with our zeitgeist: 1. The technological hubris, disregard for nature, and capitalism symbolism. 2. The inbuilt inequality and social class hierarchy 3. The lifeboats as a metaphor for salvation. 1. The Titanic was the ‘unsinkable’ ship, a symbol of technological achievement and hubris. The largest moving object ever made by man at that time. It represented the pinnacle of man’s supposed domination over nature. It was precisely this disregard for nature, despite the warnings of icebergs that led to the ship's ultimate sinking. It was also powered by coal fuelled steam engines. It also represented the height of luxury at the time, some called it a floating palace. A symbol of capitalism. Today we living in a wonderland of technology. This same hubris of man’s supposed domination over nature is pervasive. And yet like the Titanic we too are headed towards a collision course with nature in this instance the unfolding climate change catastrophe. In my map: the steam funnels are covered in a list of the top 500 corporations in 2022, algorithms and late-capitalism are located at the propellors, in the front facing captain’s quarters we have a dollar, euro, gdp, ego, an AAA+ credit rating and AI directing the ship. In the base of the ship I have all the fossil fuels that are fueling the ship and the climate crisis. 2. The architecture of the ship reflected the strict social class divisions of the Edwardian era, with the ship divided into, first, second and third class, along with crew living and working areas, cargo and storage. The types of stairwells, access to certain decks, access to the too few lifeboats are all determined by the social class on the ship. In the statistics of survivors of the sinking your social class was a direct determinant of your chances of survival. Our world is similarly unequal and divided. Using the original floor plan of the ship I divide every single country of the world into a social class on the ship, including in the blue engine parts of the ship. Taking the UN Human Development Index and GDP PPP per capita of each country as a guide the nations of the world are also ranked alongside related themes and concepts. The richest and most developed nations are at the top of the first class area. Some of the poorest nations are in third class, middle income countries in second class and some of the large developing economies that fuel the world economy are in the engine parts of the ship i.e China and India. The main metaphor here is that the countries that have produced the most greenhouse emissions i.e. the developed world will be the countries least likely to suffer the effects of climate change i.e. the countries closest to the lifeboats. The low lying islands of the pacific already experiencing the consequences of rising sea levels are located at the bottom front of the ship where the impact of the iceberg was first felt. In my artwork the idea of sinking due to rising sea levels mirrors the actual sinking of the ship. 3. Finally the Titanic was originally designed to have enough lifeboats for everyone on board. But the design was changed removing half the lifeboats to allow more space on the deck. As a result there was only room for half the 2,222 passengers in the lifeboats. As mentioned in point 2, the lifeboats were located on the first class deck and access from third class to the deck was restricted during the sinking. Only by getting onto a lifeboat could someone be saved from drowning or freezing to death. In my metaphor I imagine what ideas and themes the lifeboats represent in our world today. What could save us from the impending doom of climate change? I propose these words on the lifeboats: Science, renewables, reason, technology?, equality, ‘know thy self’, knowledge and kindness. This is my final political point. Without changes to our behaviour and perhaps incorporation of some of these listed themes into our zeitgeist we may be doomed to the same fate as the Titanic. I hope when people view this artwork they will see some truth about what is running our world, how it is unequally divided and be stirred to action to prevent this unfolding tragedy. SignificanceSubversion of traditional General Arrangement Plan to relate climate and social justice narratives, using the profile view of one of the world’s most famous ships—Titanic—and its known history of social and economic stratification to link the past and present in an exciting and innovative manner.